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Women's  Eyes 

BEING  VERSES  TRANSLATED  FROM 
THE  SANSKRIT 

by 
Arthur  William  Ryder 


Aseietant  Professor  of  Sanskrit 
in  the  University  of  California 


Should  fancy  cease. 
The  world  would  be  a  forest  dead  and  dry. 
— Bhavabhuti. 


SAN  FRANCISCO 

A.  M.  ROBERTSON 
1916 


COPYRIGHT,  1910,  BY  ARTHUK  W.  EYDEB 
COPYRIGHT,  1916,  BY  A.  M.  ROBERTSON  ■ 


-^W  [ 


SECOND  FEINTING 


PRINTED  BY  TAYLOR  &  TAYLOR,  SAN  FRANCISCO 


3?-// 


33  7 


TO  THE  MEMORY  OF 

IRVING  STRINGHAM 

THE  MATHEMATICIAN. 

WE  OF  THE  UNIVERSITY  OWE  MORE  TO  HIM 

THAN  EITHER  WE  COULD  REPAY  OR 

WHOLLY  COMPREHEND.  TO  HIS  LIVING 

MEMORY  THIS  VOLUME  IS  DEDICATED  ;  A  SLIGHT 

GIFT,  MADE  RICH  ONLY  BY  THE  LOVING 

AND  GRATEFUL  THOUGHT  OF  HIM, 

WHICH  WENT  TO  ITS  MAKING. 


The  year  sees  many  a  birth  and  death 
Of  little  folks  like  you  and  me: 

His  like  has  never  yet  drawn  breath; 
No  future  age  his  like  will  see. 

FaoM  THE  Sanskrit. 


INTRODUCTION 

IN  short  verses  the  Hindus  excel.  Their  mastery  of 
form,  their  play  of  fancy,  their  depth  and  tender- 
ness of  feeling,  are  all  exquisite. 

Of  the  many  who  wrote  such  verses,  the  greatest  is 
Bhartrihari.  He  lived  some  fifteen  hundred  years  ago 
as  king  of  Ujjain,  and  lived  most  royally,  tasting  the 
sweets  of  life  without  thought  of  the  morrow. 

At  last  he  was  roused  from  his  carefree  existence  hy 
an  event  which  surprised  and  shocked  him.  He  gave 
a  magic  fruit  to  a  girl  whom  he  loved.  She  loved  an- 
other, and  passed  the  gift  on  to  him.  He  presented  it 
to  his  lady-love,  who  in  her  turn  loved  the  king.  When 
Bhartrihari  received  the  magic  fruit  from  her  and 
learned  of  its  travels,  he  was  disgusted  with  the  fleet- 
ing joys  of  the  world,  gave  up  his  kingdom,  and  spent 
the  rest  of  his  life  in  a  cave,  writing  poetry.  The  cir- 
cumstance which  led  to  his  retirement  is  commemorated 
in  the  following  verse,  reprinted  hy  permission  of  the 
Century  Magazine: 

The  maid  my  true  heart  loves  would  not  my  true  love  be; 

She  seeks  another  man;  another  maid  loves  he; 

And  me  another  maid  her  own  true  love  would  see: 

Oh,  fie  on  her  and  him  and  Love  and  HER  and  me  I 


BJiartrihari  wrote  three  hundred  verses:  a  hundred 
on  the  conduct  of  life,  a  hundred  on  love,  a  hundred 
on  renunciation. 

In  the  present  collection,  no  less  than  eighty-five  of 
the  verses  are  takeyi  from  this  master  of  Indian  verse- 
writing.  The  remaining  fifteen  are  from  various 
soiirces.  The  arrangement  of  the  verses  is  my  own,  as 
are  also  the  titles  prefixed  to  them. 

I  have  striven  faithfully  for  a  literal  rendering. 
Though  a  rendering  into  verse  cannot  he  quite  as  close 
as  a  prose  version,  nothing  has  been  wilfidly  added  or 
subtracted.  One  matter  deserves  notice  here;  I  have 
occasionally  translated  Indian  god-names,  Shiva  or 
Brahma,  hy  the  word  God.  This  is  not  wholly  accurate, 
yet  not,  I  think,  unfaitliful  in  spirit. 

The  present  volume  does  not  encroach  unduly  upon 
the  excellent  work  of  P.  E.  More:  A  Century  of 
Indian  Epigrams.  Only  a  fetv  of  the  verses  chosen  hy 
Mm  are  translated  here,  and  even  these  in  a  manner 
quite  different. 

I  am  under  obligations  to  the  University  of  Cali- 
fornia Chronicle  for  permission  to  reprint  ceftai7i 
verses  which  first  appeared  in  its  pages. 

Arthur  W.  Ryder 
Berlceley,  California, 
February  19,  1910. 

[Vi] 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Women's  Eyes 1 

If  Only  We  Might  Dress  in  Air 2 

Love  Is  Young 3 

Love  Grows  by  What  It  Feeds  On 4 

Gentle   Eyes 5 

The  Stubborn  Fool— I 6 

The  Stubborn  Fool— II         7 

Seven  Arrows 8 

Substitutes 9 

Sweet  and  Bitter 10 

When  I  Knew  a  Little  Bit 11 

Whom  Does  She  Love? .  12 

Arrows  of  Love 13 

The  Danger  of  Delay       , 14 

Better  to  Dwell  in  Mountains  Wild 15 

The  April  Wind 16 

My  Folly  's  Done 17 

Does  She  Love  Me?  . 18 

Kemedies 19 

The  Beautiful  and  the  Good 20 

The  Power  of  Money 21 

Desire  Is  Young 22 

Thou  Art  a  Flower 23 

The  Divine  Decree 24 

Two  Kings 25 

[Vii] 


PAGE 

Absence  and  Union 26 

The  Serpent-Woman 27 

Can  She  Be  Dear? 28 

The  Decline  of  True  Learning 29 

The  Last  Day 30 

Logic ,...,....  31 

The  Anger  of  the  King 32 

The  Eains 33 

The  Lovers'  Ally 34 

Why? .  35 

All  the  World  's  a  Stage 36 

The  Way  of  the  World 37 

She  Only  Looked 38 

Who  Understands  a  Man? 39 

Untrustworthy   Things 40 

Two  Views  of  Life ....  41 

Procrastination 42 

Should  Fancy  Cease 43 

What  Then?— I 44 

What  Then?— II        . 45 

The  Queen  of  Love 46 

Joyous  Treasures 47 

Vexations — I 48 

Vexations — II 49 

Love,  the  Fisher 50 

Ephemeral  Potions 51 

All  These  Things  Shall  Be  Added  ........  52 

The  Blind  Forest       . 53 

The  Littleness  of  the  World 54 

Friendship's  End 55 

[  viii  ] 


PAGE 

A  Wasted  Life— I 56 

A  Wasted  Life— II         57 

A  Wasted  Life— III 58 

Flaming  Banners 59 

The  Thief  of  Hearts 60 

Two  Kinds  of  Friendship 61 

Choosing  a  Vocation 62 

The  Good  Are  Rare 63 

There  Was  a  Noble  City 64 

Where  Education  Fails .65 

On  Giving  a  Daughter  in  Marriage 66 

Struggling  Fancies 67 

Oh,  Might  I  End  the  Quest! 68 

What  Delights  and  Hurts 69 

The  Sweetest  Things 70 

The  Unlucky  Man 71 

A  Reason  for  Renunciation 72 

Renunciation 73 

The  Better  Part 74 

The  Five  Robbers 75 

When  Woman  Wills 76 

A  Little  Knowledge 77 

The  Weaker  Sex 78 

Young  Womanhood 79 

The  Bravest  of  the  Brave 80 

Dignity 81 

In  the  Days  of  Thy  Youth 82 

They  Want  the  Earth 83 

The  Beasts  That  Don 't  Eat  Grass 84 

Why  Men  Beg 85 

[ix] 


PAGE 

The  Wise  Misogynist 86 

Nectar  and  Poison 87 

The  Two  Things  That  Matter    . 88 

The  One  Thing  Needful 89 

Unintelligible  Virtue 90 

The  Lines  of  Fate 91 

Poverty 92 

How  Hard  Fate  Grips! 93 

When  My  Love  Draws  Nigh .94 

The  Hermit .  95 

Why  Go  to  Court?     . 96 

Impossible! 97 

Hindrances   .          98 

Divine  Vision 99 

Why  My  Poems  Died 100 


[X] 


WOMEN'S  EYES 


women's  eyes 


The  world  is  full  of  women's  eyes, 
Defiant,  filled  with  shy  surprise, 
Demure,  a  little  overfree, 
Or  simply  sparkling  roguishly ; 
It  seems  a  gorgeous  lily-bed, 
"Whichever  way  I  turn  my  head. 


[1 


IF  ONLY  WE  MIGHT  DRESS  IN  AIR 


If  only  we  might  dress  in  air, 
And  eat  what  begging  brings, 

And  sleep  outdoors,  we  should  not  care 
For  all  the  money-kings. 


[2] 


LOVE  IS  YOUNG 


The  wrinkles  on  my  face  are  all  untold ; 

My  hair  is  gray  and  thin; 
My  limbs  are  sadly  feeble  grown,  and  old 

But  love  is  young,  and  sin. 


[3] 


LOVE  GROWS  BY  WHAT  IT  FEEDS  ON 


When  she  is  far,  I  only  want  to  see  her ; 

When  she  is  seen,  I  only  want  to  kiss  her ; 
When  she  is  kissed,  I  never  want  to  flee  her ; 

I  know  that  I  could  never  bear  to  miss  her. 


[4] 


GENTLE  EYES 


Candle,  and  fire,  and  star, 

Sun,  moon,  to  give  me  light ; 

But  her  dear,  gentle  eyes  are  far- 
This  world  is  night. 


[5 


THE  STUBBORN  FOOL  t 


A  diamond  you  may  draw 

From  an  alligator's  jaw; 
You  may  cross  the  raging  ocean  like  a  pool; 

A  cobra  you  may  wear 

Like  a  blossom  in  your  hair ; 
But  you  never  can  convince  a  stubborn  fool. 


[6 


THE  STUBBORN  FOOL  II 


With  sufficient  toil  and  travail 

You  may  gather  oil  from  gravel ; 
The  mirage  perhaps  your  thirsty  lips  may  cool; 

If  you  seek  it  night  and  morn, 

You  may  find  a  rabbit's  horn ; 
But  you  never  can  convince  a  stubborn  fool. 


[7] 


SEVEN  ARROWS 


Seven  arrows  pierce  my  heart: 

The  moonbeams  that  by  day  depart ; 

The  maid  whose  youthful  beauty  flies ; 

The  pool  wherein  the  lotus  dies ; 

The  handsome  man  whose  lips  are  dumb ; 

The  rich  man,  miserly  and  glum ; 

The  good  man  sunk  in  suffering ; 

The  rogue  in  favor  with  the  king. 


[8] 


SUBSTITUTES 


What  need  of  armor  to  the  patient  soul  ? 
What  need  of  foes,  if  temper  spurns  control? 
If  rogues  are  near,  what  need  of  snakes  to  harm 

you  ? 
If  relatives,  what  need  of  fire  to  warm  you  ? 
If  friends,  what  need  of  magic  draughts  for 

health  ? 
If  blameless  scholarship,  what  need  of  wealth  ? 
If  modesty,  what  need  of  gems  and  flowers  ? 
If  poetry,  what  need  of  kingly  powers? 


[9 


SWEET  AND  BITTER 


Sweet  are  the  moonbeams,  sweet  the  grass-grown 

wood, 
Sweet  is  the  peaceful  converse  of  the  good, 
The  poet 's  song  is  sweet,  the  maiden 's  face 
When  angry  tear-drops  lend  a  sudden  grace : 
All  would  be  sweet  if  human  fate  were  fitter ; 
The  thought  of  death  turns  all  the  sweet  to 

bitter. 


[10] 


WHEN  I  KNEW  A  LITTLE  BIT 


When  I  knew  a  little  bit, 
Then  my  silly,  blinded  wit, 
Mad  as  elephants  in  rut, 
Thought  it  was  onmisieent ;  but 
When  I  learned  a  little  more 
From  the  scholar 's  hoarded  store, 
Madness'  fever  soon  grew  cool, 
And  I  knew  I  was  a  fool. 


11] 


WHOM  DOES  SHE  LOVE' 


With  one  she  gossips  full  of  art ; 

Her  glances  with  a  second  flirt ; 
She  holds  another  in  her  heart : 

Whom  does  she  love  enough  to  hurt  ? 


[12] 


ARROWS  OF  LOVE 


Where  are  you  going,  winsome  maid, 
Through  deepest,  darkest  night?  (he  said.) 
I  go  to  him  whom  love  has  made 
Dearer  to  me  than  life  (she  said). 
Ah,  girl,  and  are  you  not  afraid. 
For  you  are  all  alone?  (he  said.) 
The  god  of  love  shall  be  mine  aid. 
Arrows  of  love  fly  true  (she  said). 


[13 


THE  DANGER  OF  DELAY 


In  giving,  and  receiving  too, 
In  every  deed  you  have  to  do, 
Act  quickly ;  if  you  wait  a  bit, 
Then  time  will  suck  the  juice  of  it. 


[14] 


BETTER  TO  DWELL  IN  MOUNTAINS  WILD 


Better  to  dwell  in  mountains  wild 

With  beasts  of  prey 
Than  in  the  palaces  of  gods 

With  fools  to  stay. 


[15] 


THE  APRIL  WIND 


The  wind  of  April  is  a  lover  bold : 
He  makes  the  women  shiver  hot  and  cold ; 
He  shuts  their  eyes,  he  rumples  up  their  hair, 
And  catches  rudely  at  the  gowns  they  wear ; 
Time  after  time  he  presses  pretty  lips 
From  which  a  cry  indignant-joyful  slips. 


[16] 


MY  FOLLY   'S  DONE 


Why  should  that  girl  still  use  her  keen, 
Coquettish  eyes  that  steal  the  sheen 
From  lotus-flowers.  What  can  she  mean ' 

My  folly  's  done.  The  fever-sting 
Of  love 's  soft  arrow  does  not  cling ; 
And  yet  she  doesn't  stop,  poor  thing! 


[17] 


DOES  SHE  LOVE  ME  ? 


Although  she  does  not  speak  to  me, 
She  listens  while  I  speak ; 

Her  eyes  turn  not,  my  face  to  see, 
But  nothing  else  they  seek. 


[18] 


REMEDIES 


A  fire  with  water  we  defeat, 
With  parasols  the  midday  heat, 
Mad  elephants  with  goads  that  prick, 
Oxen  and  asses  with  a  stick, 
Sickness  with  draughts  that  banish  harm, 
Poison  with  many  a  spell  and  charm< 
Science  has  cures  for  every  ill 
Except  the  fool ;  he  prospers  still. 


[19] 


THE  BEAUTIFUL  AND  THE  GOOD 


You  are  a  teacher  of  the  youth 

Who  master  philosophic  truth ; 

I  seek  in  the  poetic  art 

What  charms  and  ravishes  the  heart. 

Yet  we  are  honest  and  we  see 

The  only  good  is  charity ; 

And  nothing  charms  us,  fools  or  wise, 

Except  a  maid  with  lotus-eyes. 


[20] 


THE  POWER  OP  MONEY 


His  powers  are  still  the  same,  his  actions  too. 
His  mind  is  quite  as  keen,  his  speech  as  true ; 
Yet  he  has  undergone  a  wondrous  change — 
He  lost  his  money.  Do  you  think  it  strange  ? 


[21] 


DESIRE  IS  YOUNG 


Not  time,  but  we,  have  passed  away ; 

Not  virtue,  we  ourselves  grow  cold ; 
Not  joys,  but  we,  no  longer  stay : 

Desire  is  young,  but  we  are  old. 


[22 


THOU  ART  A  FLOWER 


Thou  art  a  flower  whose  fragrance  none  has 
tasted, 

A  gem  uncut  by  workman's  tool, 
A  branch  no  desecrating  hands  have  wasted, 

A  virgin  forest,  sweetly  cool. 

No  man  on  earth  deserves  to  taste  thy  beauty, 
Thy  blameless  loveliness  and  worth, 

Unless  he  has  fulfilled  man 's  perfect  duty — 
And  is  there  such  a  one  on  earth  ? 


23] 


THE  DIVINE  DECREE 


Thy  wise  creator  wrote  upon  thy  brow, 

When  thou  wast  born,  what  wealth  should 
once  be  thine ; 

The  sum  was  great  perhaps,  or  small ;  yet  now 
Thy  fate  is  fixed,  and  sure  the  law  divine. 

For  if  thou  dwell  within  the  desert's  bound, 
Thou  shalt  have  nothing  less  than  his  decree ; 

Nor  shall  a  single  penny  more  be  found, 

Although  the  golden  mount  thy  dwelling  be. 

Ah,  then  be  brave  and  play  the  manly  part, 
Nor  be  so  fond  to  humble  thy  proud  heart 
And  fawn  before  the  rich  with  cringing  art. 

For  see !  A  jar  that  in  the  ocean  fell 

Holds  no  more  water  in  its  little  shell 

Than  when  you  lowered  it  in  the  meanest  well. 


[24] 


TWO  KINGS 


Flee  from  the  palace  where  they  say : 
The  king  is  sleeping ;  go  away — 
He  has  no  time  for  you  today — 
Or — he  will  see  you  if  you  stay  — 
He  will  be  angry  anyway. 

Flee  to  another,  greater  king, 
My  soul,  who  rules  each  mortal  thing. 
Whose  palace  knows  no  bolt,  no  ring, 
No  porter 's  harsh,  sarcastic  fling, 
No  pain,  no  human  suffering. 


[25] 


ABSENCE  AND  UNION 


Absence  is  union  dear, 
When  hearts  are  one ; 

Union  is  absence  drear, 
When  love  is  done. 


[26] 


THE  SERPENT- WOMAN 


Avoid  the  poison-glance,  my  friends ; 

The  serpent-woman  flee ; 
Her  crooked  path  has  crooked  ends ; 

Her  hood  is  coquetry. 

If  you  are  stung  by  conmion  snakes, 
Perhaps  you  will  not  die ; 

If  poison  from  a  woman  takes, 
The  doctors  say  goodby. 


[  27 


CAN  SHE  BE  DEAR? 


The  thought  of  her  is  saddening, 
The  sight  of  her  is  fear, 

The  touch  of  her  is  maddening — 
Can  she  be  really  dear  ? 


[28] 


THE  DECLINE  OF  TRUE  LEARNING 


Once,  learning  slew  the  living  woe 
Of  wise  men.  That  was  long  ago. 
She  then  disdained  such  service  rare, 
Became  a  practical  affair. 
But  nowadays  she  sees  that  kings 
Despise  all  intellectual  things. 
And  sinking  lower  day  by  day, 
She  seems  to  vanish  quite  away. 


[29] 


THE  LAST  DAY 


When  the  celestial  mount  shall  totter,  burning 

In  all-devouring  flame, 
When  seas  go  dry,  where  crocodiles  are  turning 

And  sharks  no  man  may  tame. 
When  the  compact  earth  itself  shall  tumble  sheer, 

Great  mountains  madly  dance, 
What  of  our  bodies,  quivering  like  the  ear 

Of  baby  elephants  ? 


[30] 


LOGIC 


How  long  may  subtle  logic  play  its  part 
In  science  and  theology  and  art  ? 

So  long  as  no  young  fawn-eyed  maiden 's 
glance 
Shall  find  its  way  to  the  logician 's  heart. 


[31] 


THE  ANGER  OF  THE  KING 


None  from  the  anger  of  the  king 

May  be  released ; 
The  fire  consumes  the  offering 

And  burns  the  priest. 


[32] 


THE  RAINS 


And  when  the  rainy  days  are  come, 
Your  lady-love  must  stay  at  home ; 
She  clings  to  you,  a  little  bold 
Because  she  shivers  with  the  cold ; 
The  breeze  is  fresh  with  heaven's  spray 
And  drives  her  lassitude  away : 
"When  happy  lovers  are  together. 
The  rainy  time  is  fairest  weather. 


[33] 


THE  LOVERS     ALLY 


Ye  maids,  exhaust  your  haughty  scorn 

On  lovers  bending  low ; 
For  soon  the  breeze  in  southland  born, 

With  sandal  sweet,  will  blow. 


[34] 


WHY? 


The  deer,  the  fish,  the  good  man  hunger 
For  grass,  for  water,  for  content; 

Yet  hunter,  fisher,  scandahnonger 
Pursue  each  harmless  innocent. 


[35] 


ALL  THE  WORLD    S  A  STAGE 


Child  for  an  hour,  and  lovesick  youth  an  hour, 
Beggar  an  hour,  then  fanned  by  riches'  breathy 

The  wrinkled  actor,  Man,  bereft  of  power, 
Creeps  tottering  behind  the  curtain,  Death. 


[36] 


THE  WAY  OP  THE  WORLD 


In  daily  journeys  of  the  sun 
Our  little  life  is  quickly  done ; 
In  anxious  duties  of  the  day 
The  hours  unnoticed  slip  away ; 
Though  birth  and  age  are  ever  near, 
And  grief,  and  death,  we  do  not  fear ; 
The  world  forgets  its  sore  distress. 
Goes  mad  with  wine  of  heedlessness. 


[37] 


SHE  ONLY  LOOKED 


She  did  not  redden  nor  deny 

My  entrance  to  her  room ; 
She  did  not  speak  an  angry  word ; 

She  did  not  fret  and  fume ; 
She  did  not  frown  upon  poor  me, 

Her  lover  now  as  then ; 
She  only  looked  at  me  the  way 

She  looks  at  other  men. 


[38] 


WHO  UNDERSTANDS  A  MAN? 


Once  he  would  follow  at  my  feet, 

Obey  my  slightest  word ; 
And  black  was  black,  if  black  to  me, 

Or  white,  if  I  preferred ; 
And  he  began  to  walk  or  sit 

The  moment  I  began ; 
But  he  is  different  now.  Oh,  dear ! 

Who  understands  a  man? 


[39] 


UNTRUSTWOKTHY  THINGS 


The  things  that  can  claw,  and  the  things  that 
can  gore, 
Are  very  untrustworthy  things ; 
And  a  man  with  a  sword  in  his  hand,  further- 
more, 
And  rivers  and  women  and  kings. 


40] 


TWO  VIEWS  OF  LITE 


When  ignorance  my  life  entwined, 

Love's  ointment  made  me  strangely  blind — 

I  thought  the  world  was  made  of  womankind. 

But  clearer  judgment  than  of  yore 

The  veil  before  my  vision  tore  — 

I  know  that  God  is  all  the  world  and  more. 


[41] 


PROCRASTINATION 


By  and  by  — 

Never  fret — 
I  shall  try 
By  and  by. 

By  and  by — 
Don't  forget - 
You  must  die 
By  and  by. 


[42 


SHOULD  FANCY  CEASE 


The  lover's  patient  fancy  brings  him  peace, 
Paints  her  he  loves  before  his  inward  eye, 

And  gives  him  comfort ;  but  should  fancy  cease. 
The  world  would  be  a  forest  dead  and  dry, 
And  hearts  that  shrivel  in  the  burning  chaff, 
must  die. 


[43] 


WHAT  THEN?    I 


What  if  my  life  is  fed 

With  all  that  seems  most  sweet  ? 
What  if  my  foeman's  head 

Is  ground  beneath  my  feet  ? 
What  if  my  wealth  makes  friends 

Again  and  yet  again  ? 
What  if  my  soul  ascends 

Through  countless  lives  ?  What  then  ? 


[44 


WHAT  THEN?    II 


Old  rags,  or  fine,  white  silk  that  flows  and  clings - 

"Why  should  I  care  ? 
Poor  wife,  or  horses,  elephants,  and  things — 

What  difference  there  ? 
Sweet  rice,  or  wretched  food  when  day  is  o'er — 

Why  care  again  ? 
God's  light,  or  groping  in  the  dark  once  more — 

What  then?  What  then? 


[45] 


THE  QUEEN  OP  LOVE 


Surely  the  love-god  is  the  slave 

Of  her  sweet  eyes ; 
For  when  they  give  a  hint,  the  knave 

Obedient  flies. 


[46] 


JOYOUS  TREASURES 


How  hard  a  thing  it  is  that  they  achieve 

Whose  hearts  the  thought  of  God  keeps  pure 
and  bright, 

Who  for  His  sake  earth's  joyous  treasures  leave 
Without  a  pang  at  losing  such  delight ! 

Those  joyous  treasures  I  could  never  get ; 

I  cannot  get  them  now ;  I  am  not  sure 
That  I  shall  ever  win  to  them ;  and  yet 

I  cannot  flout  the  thought,  the  hope,  the  lure. 


[47] 


VEXATIONS  I 


The  scholarship  that  grasps  at  straws, 
The  woman 's  love  that  must  be  bought, 

The  life  that  hangs  on  tyrants'  laws  — 
These  things  are  with  vexation  fraught. 


[48] 


VEXATIONS  II 


The  fear  of  dying  vexes  birth ; 

Age  vexes  flashing  youth ; 
The  carper  vexes  honest  worth ; 

Irresolution,  truth. 

To  vex  our  peace  the  women  love ; 

Our  jo3%  ambition's  sting; 
Rogues  vex  the  court,  and  snakes  the  grove ; 

And  something,  everything. 


[49] 


LOVE,  THE  FISHER 


Love,  the  fisher,  casts  his  woman-hook 
Into  the  sea  of  lust  and  fond  desire, 

And  just  as  soon  as  greedy  men-fish  look 
And  snap  the  red  bait,  lips  so  sweet,  so  dire, 

Then  he  is  quick  to  catch  them  and  to  cook 
The  hungry  wretches  over  passion's  fire. 


[50] 


EPHEMERAL  POTIONS 


If  mouths  are  dry  with  thirst, 
Men  think  of  water  first ; 
If  hungry,  bolt  their  rice 
With  many  a  toothsome  spice ; 
If  love  flames  bright  and  brighter, 
They  clasp  the  women  tighter : 
They  have  the  strangest  notions ; 
They  think  ephemeral  potions 
Will  heal  the  soul's  commotions. 


[51 


ALL  THESE  THINGS  SHALL  BE  ADDED 


What  though  she  have  a  bosom  sweet, 

A  form  to  beauty  wed, 
A  face  in  which  the  graces  meet — 

She  must  not  turn  your  head. 

Nay,  if  her  charm  your  fancy  haunts, 
Then  live  on  virtue 's  food ; 

One  cannot  have  the  things  he  wants 
Except  by  being  good. 


[52] 


THE  BLIND  FOREST 


The  lady's  body  is  a  forest  blind, 

With  dangerous  hills,  her  bosom  fair ; 

Think  not  to  wander  there,  my  mind ; 
The  robber,  Love,  is  lurking  there. 


[53] 


THE  LITTLENESS  OF  THE  WORLD 


Why  should  the  truly  wise  man  wish 
To  hold  the  world  in  fee  ? 

'T  is  but  the  leaping  of  a  baby  fish 
Upon  the  boundless  sea. 


[54 


FRIENDSHIP  S  END 


Yes,  you  were  I,  and  I  was  you, 
So  fond  the  love  that  linked  us  two ; 
Alas,  my  friend,  for  friendship 's  end ! 
Now  I  am  I,  and  you  are  you. 


[55] 


A  WASTED  LIFE  I 


No  stainless  wisdom  have  I  learned ; 
No  honest  money  have  I  earned ; 
No  fond  obedience  have  I  brought 
To  parents,  with  a  heart  well-taught ; 
I  never  dreamed  of  sweet  embraces, 
Of  sparkling  eyes  and  roguish  faces : 
My  life  was  wasted  like  the  crow's ; 
I  lived  on  strangers '  bread  and  blows. 


[56] 


A  WASTED  LIFE  II 


I  never  learned  to  vanquish  other  men 

In  conference,  with  the  just  and  fitting  word ; 
I  never  made  high  heaven  ring  again, 

Praising  the  elephant-hunter 's  sturdy  sword ; 
I  never  tasted  honey  from  the  kind, 

Soft  lips  of  maids  when  moonlight  scatters 
gloom : 
My  youth  is  gone  and  left  no  good  behind, 

A  candle  burning  in  an  empty  room. 


[57] 


A  WASTED  LIFE  III 


The  paths  of  thought  I  never  trod 
"Which  lead  to  unity  in  God ; 
Nor  were  my  days  to  virtue  given 
Which  opens  wide  the  gates  of  heaven : 
Delights  of  love  that  men  esteem 
Were  mine  not  even  in  a  dream : 
I  was  a  sorry  axe  in  sooth 
To  cut  the  tree,  my  mother's  youth. 


[58] 


FLAMING  BANNERS 


Learning  and  dignity, 
Wisdom  and  manners 

Last  till  the  god  of  love 
Plants  flaming  banners. 


59] 


THE  THIEF  OF  HEARTS 


You  practise  theft  by  strangest  arts 

Once  and  again ; 
In  broad  daylight  you  steal  the  hearts 

Of  waking  men. 


[60] 


TWO  KINDS  OF  FRIENDSHIP 


The  friendship  of  the  rogue  or  saint, 
Like  shade  at  dawn  or  shade  at  noon, 

Starts  large  and  slowly  grows  more  faint, 
Or  starting  faint,  grows  larger  soon. 


[61] 


CHOOSING  A  VOCATION 


What  shall  I  do  in  these  few  hours  of  life  ? 
Live  humbly  with  a  sweet,  religious  wife  ? 
Renounce  the  world,  the  ties  of  kindred  sever, 
And  spend  my  days  beside  the  sacred  river  ? 
Drink  deep  of  honeyed  poems'  nectar-flow? 
Or  learn  philosophy  ?  I  hardly  know. 


[62] 


THE  GOOD  ARE  RARE 


Through  thoughts  and  words  and  deeds  their 
virtues  flow ; 
To  all  the  world  their  kindness  brings  delight ; 
They  make  a  mote  of  good  in  others  show 

Like  a  great  mountain ;  for  their  hearts  are 
bright, 
And  brighten  all  they  touch  with  their  own  worth ; 
How  many  such  are  to  be  found  on  earth  ? 


[63 


THERE  WAS  A  NOBLE  CITY 


There  was  a  noble  city  old, 
A  mighty  king,  and  vassals  bold ; 
And  there  were  gathered  scholars  true. 
And  moon-faced  ladies  not  a  few ; 
And  there  were  princes  proud  and  free, 
And  stories  told,  and  minstrelsy : 
A  memory  now ;  we  mourn  their  fall 
And  honor  Time,  who  levels  all. 


[64] 


WHERE  EDUCATION  FAILS 


Though  many  youths  a  training  get 
In  law,  religion,  etiquette, 
Why  are  there  few  whose  actions  would, 
Interpreted,  seem  wholly  good  ? 

Some  arching  brow  is  sure  to  be 
As  cunning  as  a  master-key. 
That  serves  its  purpose  passing  well 
In  flinging  wide  the  gates  of  hell. 


[65] 


ON  GIVING  A  DAUGHTER  IN  MARRIAGE 


A  girl  is  held  in  trust,  another 's  treasure ; 

To  arms  of  love  my  child  today  is  given ; 
And  now  I  feel  a  cahn  and  sacred  pleasure ; 

I  have  restored  the  pledge  that  came  from 
heaven. 


[66 


STRUGGLING  FANCIES 


It  is  my  body  leaves  my  love,  not  I ; 

My  body  moves  away,  but  not  my  mind ; 
For  back  to  her  my  struggling  fancies  fly 

Like  silken  banners  borne  against  the  wind. 


[67] 


OH,  MIGHT  I  END  THE  QUEST  ! 


I  dug  beneath  the  earth  most  greedily 

In  search  of  hidden  treasure ; 
I  smelted  ore ;  I  crossed  the  mighty  sea, 

Forgetting  every  pleasure ; 
I  cringed  to  kings ;  and  muddling  all  my  brains 

With  magic,  lost  my  rest : 
But  never  got  a  penny  for  my  pains ; 

Oh,  might  I  end  the  quest ! 


[68] 


WHAT  DELIGHTS  AND  HURTS 


It  is  the  truth  sans  prejudice  I  speak ; 

Ye  people,  heed  this  truth  forever  true ; 
All  that  delights,  in  women  you  must  seek, 

And  all  that  hurts,  you  find  in  women  too. 


[69 


THE  SWEETEST  THINGS 


The  sweetest  sight  a  man  may  see 

Is  a  maiden's  loving  face; 
The  sweetest  thing  to  touch  should  be 

Her  body 's  close  embrace ; 

Her  voice  should  be  the  sweetest  sound ; 

Her  breath,  the  sweetest  scent ; 
The  sweetest  taste,  the  honey  found 

On  lips  to  kisses  lent ; 

The  thought  of  her  is  fervent  prayer, 

Religion 's  sweetest  part ; 
The  charm  of  her  is  everywhere 

Unto  the  pure  in  heart. 


[70] 


THE  UNLUCKY  MAN 


A  bald  man  once,  whose  hairless  pate 

Felt  inconveniently  hot, 
Fled  to  a  cocoa-tree  at  noon — 

He  hoped  to  find  a  shady  spot. 
And  then  a  big  nut  fell,  and  crack ! 

The  poor  bald  head  was  split  in  two. 
Misfortunes  almost  always  find 

The  man  whom  evil  fates  pursue. 


[71] 


A  REASON  FOR  RENUNCIATION 


Possessions  leave  us  at  the  end, 
However  long  they  stay ; 

Then  why  not  east  aside,  my  friend, 
What  leaves  us  anyway  ? 

And  if  they  leave  against  our  will, 
The  heart  takes  time  in  mending ; 

If  given  willingly,  they  fill 

That  heart  with  joy  unending. 


[72] 


RENUNCIATION 


What  does  renunciation  mean  ? 
It  means  a  lonely  woodland  scene 
Remote  from  men  and  human  sin, 
From  woes  of  love,  from  love  of  kin, 
Free  from  the  world,  a  life  apart 
That  slays  the  tortures  of  the  heart 
As  fear  of  death  and  fear  of  birth : 
It  means  the  best  of  heaven  and  earth. 


[73] 


THE  BETTER  PAET 


Is  there  no  splendid  Himalayan  height, 

Cooled  by  the  spray  from  Ganges '  holy  springs 

With  rocks  where  fairies  now  and  then  alight, 
That  men  should  fawn  upon  contemptuous 
kings? 


74 


THE  FIVE  ROBBERS 


' '  Here  are  banquets,  and  singing  sweet, 
Perfumes,  and  glimpse  of  dancing  feet, 
And  bosoms  that  on  mine  may  beat. ' ' 

Five  rascal  senses  whisper  this. 
Lead  me  from  virtue  much  amiss, 
And  cheat  me  of  my  highest  bliss. 


75] 


WHEN  WOMAN  WILLS 


When  loving  woman  wants  her  way, 
God  hesitates  to  say  her  nay. 


[76 


A  LITTLE  KNOWLEDGE 


A  fool's  opinion  easily  is  bent; 

More  easy  't  is  to  win  the  wise  and  great ; 

But  God  himself  could  never  make  content 
The  man  who  feels  himself  elate 
With  one  small  grain  of  knowledge  in  his 
pate. 


[77] 


THE  WEAKER  SEX 


The  classic  poets  make  a  great  mistake ; 

Forever  of  the  weaker  sex  they  speak ; 
When  gods  are  subjugated  for  the  sake 

Of  starry  glances,  are  the  women  weak  ? 


78] 


YOUNG  WOMANHOOD 


Half -smiles  that  brighten  on  her  face, 

Innocent,  roving  glances, 
The  wealth  of  budding  charms  that  show 

In  little  steps  and  dances, 
The  flow  of  words  that  shyly  prove 

The  sweet,  new  woman-feeling: 
Yes,  all  the  fawn-eyed  maiden  does 

Is  wondrously  appealing. 


[79] 


THE  BRAVEST   OF  THE  BRAVE 


A  few  brave  men  pursue 

Rogue  elephants  to  death ; 
There  are  a  braver  few 

Who  stop  the  lion 's  breath ; 
The  bravest  of  the  brave — 

And  fewer  yet  they  prove — 
Are  they  who  can  enslave 

The  haughty  god  of  love. 


[80] 


DIGNITY 


The  dog  will  roll,  and  wag  his  tail,  and  fawn, 
Show  mouth  and  belly,  just  to  get  some  meat ; 

The  majestic  elephant  gazes  gravely  on ; 

Till  coaxed  a  hundred  times,  he  will  not  eat. 


[81 


IN  THE  DAYS  OF  THY  YOUTH 


While  life  is  vigorous  and  bright, 

While  sickness  comes  not,  nor  decay, 
While  all  your  powers  are  at  their  height. 

While  yet  old  age  is  far  away. 
Then,  wise  man,  let  your  thoughts  be  turning 

To  heaven's  hopes  and  fears  of  hell; 
For  when  the  house  is  fired  and  burning, 

It  is  too  late  to  dig  a  well. 


[82] 


THEY  WANT  THE  EARTH 


'T  is  but  a  little  ball  of  mud 

With  a  streak  of  water  round ; 

Yet  kings  for  it  will  shed  their  blood, 
As  for  a  treasure  found. 

They  cannot,  will  not  leave  the  thing, 
So  poor  are  they,  so  mean ; 

And  men  will  f  a^vn  on  such  a  king ! 
Oh,  shame  upon  the  scene ! 


[83] 


THE  BEASTS  THAT  DON  T  EAT  GRASS 


Unschooled  in  music,  poetry,  and  art, 

Man  is  a  beast,  a  hornless,  tailless  beast; 
He  doesn't  eat  the  grass ;  for  this  at  least 

The  other  beasts  may  well  be  glad  at  heart. 


[84 


WHY  MEN  BEG 


Is  there  a  man  of  spirit  who  would  beg 

In  broken  words  that  stumble  M-ith  his  sobbing, 

Harsh  sobs  of  him  who  fears  a  surty  "  no ! " 
And  all  to  ease  his  belly 's  empty  throbbing  ? 

None  but  the  man  who  sees  his  wretched  wife 
Sad  always,  sees  her  worn  and  ragged  skirts, 

L  Sees  sad-faced  babies  tugging  at  their  folds 
With  screams  that  tell  how  fiercely  hunger 
hurts. 


[85] 


THE  WISE  MISOGYNIST 


The  wise  misogynist,  poor  soul, 

To  self-deceit  is  given ; 
For  heaven  rewards  his  self-control, 

And  women  swarm  in  heaven. 


[86] 


NECTAR  AND  POISON 


All  nectar  and  all  poison  lives 
In  woman 's  changing  states ; 

For  she  is  nectar  when  she  loves, 
And  poison  when  she  hates. 


87 


THE  TWO  THINGS  THAT  MATTER 


Why  all  this  talk  and  foolish  chatter  ? 
There  are  just  two  things  that  really  matter : 
A  buxom,  young,  and  frisky  wife ; 
Or  else  a  lonely  forest-life. 


[88] 


THE  ONE  THING  NEEDFUL 


Why  should  I  study  scripture,  sacred  lore, 
Or  any  good,  big  book?  Why  get  a  store 

Of  pious  actions,  anxiously  performed — 
And  win  a  humble  tent  in  heaven,  no  more  ? 

The  knowledge  of  myself  is  all  I  need 
To  give  me  lasting  joy,  to  burn  the  seed 

Of  the  interminable  pain  of  life — 
Let  pious  peddlars  show  their  wares  and  plead. 


[89] 


UNINTELLIGIBLE  VIRTUE 


Are  palace-joys  so  incomplete  ? 

Is  song  a  despicable  pleasure? 
And  is  there  anything  so  sweet 

As  clasping  her  you  love  and  treasure  ? 

Yet  pious  men  account  these  things 
As  vain  as  flickering  candle-light 

'Neath  dancing  moths  on  troubled  wings ; 
And  to  the  woods  they  take  their  flight. 


[90 


THE  LINES  OF  PATE 


If  thorn-plants  in  the  desert  leafless  be, 

The  spring  is  not  to  blame. 
If  owls  in  broadest  daylight  cannot  see, 

The  sun  should  feel  no  shame. 
If  in  the  plover 's  bill  no  raindrops  fall, 

'T  were  wrong  to  blame  the  cloud. 
The  lines  that  fate  has  written  once  for  all, 

Are  never  disallowed. 


[91 


POVERTY 


The  moon  by  night,  the  sun  by  day 
Continue  in  their  heavenly  way ; 
One  rag  they  have,  one  ragged  cloud 
To  serve  them  both  as  robe  and  shroud. 
Poor  things ! 


[92] 


HOW  HARD  FATE  GRIPS  ! 


The  snake  and  elephant  are  caged ; 

The  moon  and  sun  must  meet  eclipse ; 
The  prudent  are  in  strife  engaged 

With  poverty.  How  hard  fate  grips ! 


[93] 


WHEN  MY  LOVE  DRAWS  NIGH 


When  my  love  draws  nigh, 
When  his  voice  I  hear, 

Why  am  I  all  eye  ? 
Why  am  I  all  ear? 


[94] 


THE  HERMIT 


I  seem  to  see  a  hermit  good : 

He  has  no  pride,  he  begs  his  food ; 

From  man-made  laws  his  acts  are  free ; 

He  seeks  no  man 's  society ; 

He  has  no  care  for  common  ways 

Of  giving,  getting  all  his  days ; 

He  stitches  up  his  garment  ragged 

With  wayside  tatters,  torn  and  ja»ged ; 

No  false  conceit  his  fancy  haunts — 

Eternal  peace  is  all  he  wants. 


[95 


WHY  GO  TO  COURT  ? 


I  am  not  fashion 's  changing  sport, 
I  never  acted,  sang,  nor  hated; 

What  figure  should  I  cut  at  court  ? 
I  am  no  lady  languid-gaited. 


[96] 


IMPOSSIBLE ! 


The  consecrated  saints  of  eld 

Who  lived  on  water,  leaves,  and  air. 

Went  mad  with  love  when  they  beheld 
A  face  that  showed  how  maids  are  fair. 

And  if  the  common  men  who  eat 

Their  rice  and  milk  and  curds  and  ghee, 
Should  curb  the  wish  for  things  so  sweet, 

The  mountains  would  fly  oversea. 


[97] 


HINDRANCES 


'T  would  not  be  hard,  through  life 's  gray  sea 

To  find  the  track; 
But  fawn-eyed  women  hinder  me, 

And  hold  me  back. 


[98] 


DIVINE  VISION 


My  love  is  in  a  distant  land, 
And  yet  I  see  her  where  I  stand. 
The  gods  have  vision  less  divine, 
Because  the  eye  of  love  is  mine. 


[99] 


WHY  MY  POEMS  DIED 


The  critics  all  were  jealous, 
The  patrons  full  of  pride, 

The  public  had  no  judgment ; 
And  so  my  poems  died. 


[100] 


13  4814 


^^.  IHnnlllninl illllll  M  I  Ir  11 1  I  I  llllllll  ^h. 


